1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to low horsepower vehicular systems used to transport a single person. More particularly, the present invention relates to low horsepower vehicular systems that can be converted into different configurations for different purposes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The first time man ever connected wheels to his shoes is long lost in history. Since that day, countless versions of skates, skateboards, scooters and like inventions have been developed that share the same basic idea. That idea being that it is fun and entertaining to propel yourself on a set of small wheels.
Since the very beginning of skates, people have sought ways to propel themselves on the skates, other than through physical exertion. For example, many a child has used the family dog to pull them on skates. Over the years, several people have developed motorized propelling systems that take the place of the family dog. Prior art motorized propelling systems typically have a wheel mounted to an elongated frame. The wheel is turned by a small gasoline engine. A person on skates is propelled by hanging on to the elongated shaft as the gasoline engine drives the motor.
Such prior art propelling systems come in two styles. In the first style, the motorized propelling system is positioned in front of a person and is used to tow that person. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,210 to Harvey, entitled Tow Vehicle System. Such systems are not very powerful because the weight of the person being pulled is not used to bias the drive wheel against the ground. Accordingly, when the ground is not smooth and level, such prior art devices tend to spin their wheels. Furthermore, since the person being propelled is being pulled, a person needs great strength in his arms to pull himself toward the motorized propelling system in order to maintain an upright position and maintain balance. Additionally, since the person using such a motorized device is being pulled, the motorized device is also used to steer. The skates on the person merely follow the direction of the motorized device.
Recognizing the disadvantages of motorized systems that pull a person, inventors have designed rear positioned propelling systems. In a rear propelling system, the motor and drive wheel are positioned behind the person being propelled. Consequently, the person is pushed by the propelling device. The weight of the person acts to bias the drive wheel against the ground. Accordingly, rear propelling systems have much better traction and power than do front propelling systems. Furthermore, the skates are now used to steer, since the skates are positioned in front of the rear propelling system. Examples of rear propelling systems can be found i in U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,089 to Kuwahara, U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,176 to Lucernoni and United Kingdom Patent Application GB 2246751 A to Kneale.
However, a disadvantage of the rear propelling system is that the frame of the propelling system extends between the legs of the person being propelled. Accordingly, a person using such a device is prevented from crossing his legs. This severely limits the movements of a person wearing in-line skates, wherein certain maneuvers require that a person cross his/her legs in order to successfully complete the maneuver.
Another problem with prior art propelling systems is that they only have a single configuration. As such, a person can only be propelled by such devices in a single manner. As such, some propelling devices only propel people who are wearing skates. Some prior art propelling devices only propel people who are on bicycles. However, prior art devices used for bicycle cannot be adapted for use by a person with skates and vice versa.
A need therefore exists for a rear motorized propelling system that can propel a person from the rear without extending through that person""s legs or otherwise limiting the maneuverability of a person""s legs. A need also exists for a rear motorized propelling system that is modular in construction and can be selectively reconfigured for different applications. These needs are met by the present invention as it is described and claimed below.
The present invention is a modular vehicle system consisting of a rear propulsion device and a variety of different front-end assemblies that can be attached to the rear propulsion device to create different types of motorized vehicles. The rear propulsion device contains a frame, an engine mounted to that frame and a drive wheel that is driven by the engine. The front-end assemblies contain a frame, a steering fork element and a steering mechanism for turning the steering fork element. The steering fork supports either a front wheel or a ski.
The frame of the front-end assembly attaches to the frame of the rear propulsion device in order to create a vehicle upon which a person can sit. At any time, the front-end assembly can be exchanged with another of a different configuration in order to change the physical characteristics of the resultant vehicle.